Tuesday, July 31, 2007

Islamic Republic's Scheme for Survival

According to an article written in the Economist, those in power in Iran are trying to isolate Iranand to make the illusion of enemies surrounding the country, for their own survival.

"A Tehran-based academic says that just as revolutionaries in Russia and China took fright when their ideas stopped resonating with the people, those in Iran think that their survival depends on making Iranians feel surrounded, isolated and beset by foes. A particular group, he says, wants to make the revolution permament " in orer to retain their control of the power structure- and for this is is helpful if they can point to enemies everywhere."

But this isolation, ghost-enemy chasing and extreme crackdowns are the very thing that will dig the Islamic Republic's own grave. let them create their own demise.

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August 5th, Day of protest against Jailing if Iranian Students

‌Bloggers support the jailed iranian student activistsAugust 5th 2007 is the 101-st anniversary of the Iranian constitutional revolution. BUT Iranian people still struggle for democracy and student activists are still sent to jailsSeveral student activists spend this year’s anniversary in jails. They include Mohammad Hashemi, Ali Nikoonesbati, Ali Vefghi, Bahareh Hedayat, Mehdi Arabshahi, Hanif Yazdani, Abodllah Momeni, Bahram Fayyazi, Habib Hajiheydari, Morteza Eslahchi, Mojtaba Bayat,, Masood Habibi, Saeed Hossein-nia, Arash Khandel, Ashkan Ghiasvand, Mohammad-Hossein Mehrzad, Ahmad Ghassaban, Majid Tavakoli, Ehsan Mansouri, and Amir Yaghoub-aliIn support and memory of our fellow activists, who some of them are bloggres as well, a group of Iranian bloggres will change their blog title on August the 5th to "August the 5th: The day of support for jailed Iranian students". We invite you, even as a non-Iranian blogger, to participate in this cause. You can join by sending us e-mail to 14.mordad@gmail.com or write the name of your weblog in the comment box below, so it will be added to the list of the supporting weblogs

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Support Iranian Students in Iranian Prisons

‌Bloggers support the jailed iranian student activistsAugust 5th 2007 is the 101-st anniversary of the Iranian constitutional revolution. BUT Iranian people still struggle for democracy and student activists are still sent to jailsSeveral student activists spend this year’s anniversary in jails. They include Mohammad Hashemi, Ali Nikoonesbati, Ali Vefghi, Bahareh Hedayat, Mehdi Arabshahi, Hanif Yazdani, Abodllah Momeni, Bahram Fayyazi, Habib Hajiheydari, Morteza Eslahchi, Mojtaba Bayat,, Masood Habibi, Saeed Hossein-nia, Arash Khandel, Ashkan Ghiasvand, Mohammad-Hossein Mehrzad, Ahmad Ghassaban, Majid Tavakoli, Ehsan Mansouri, and Amir Yaghoub-aliIn support and memory of our fellow activists, who some of them are bloggres as well, a group of Iranian bloggres will change their blog title on August the 5th to "August the 5th: The day of support for jailed Iranian students". We invite you, even as a non-Iranian blogger, to participate in this cause. You can join by sending us e-mail to 14.mordad@gmail.com or write the name of your weblog in the comment box below, so it will be added to the list of the supporting weblogs

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Mother's of "thugs" to be hanged write letters to Islamic Republic Government and Supreme Leader

The mother's of 17 additional individuals that have been sentenced to death because they weredeemed as "thugs" write letters to the following:

The Supreme Leaders OfficeThe Judiciary Office

The Presiden'ts Office

The Office of the Islamic Parliament

The Head of Courts

The Office for the Defense of Prisoner's Rights

The Islamic Commision of Human Rights

Media in Iran

The parents questioned the treatement of their children in the prison system in Iran and asked is the harsh treatment of their children not breaking the law in itself. The parents also wrote a reminder in the letter that many inmates are innocent and are awaiting their not guilty charges in prison.

The parents of Masim Lotfi is were one of the parents of this letter. The above are photos of their son. Of course those responsible for his beatings fool themselves into thinking they are moral and are going to heaven.

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Families of Students as well as other prisoners write letters to Iranian Government and Supreme Leader

The families of arrested students Majid Tavakoli, Ahamd Ghasaban and Ehsan Mansouri have written letters to the head of the Judiciary, Ayatollah Shahroudi. Excuse me, how is the Islamic Republic different from the Shah's SAVAK again? I'm not sure I see the differences here.

They complained of police brutality and torture in the Iranian prisons. According to their letter, their children have been subjected to the following.

Emotional Torture:

1. Very long interrogations (24 hours at a time) from a 7 member interrogation team, as well as interrogations in the middle of the night.

2. Arrests and beatings of family members.

3. Vulgar language

4. Threats to harm or kill family members

5. Threats to expell family members from their jobs, threats to order physical punishment such as 80 lashes.

6. Sending students to solitary confinement with dangerous conditions.

7. Promising to free the students, giving them their belongings, and then sending them back to solitary confinement

Physical Torture:

1. Extreme beatings during interrogations to result in loss of consciousness of our children and sending them to the infirmary of 209 section of jail.

2. Beatings to the legs, chest, back and beatings given by punching and kicking the head, face and legs to point where the students are thrown off the interrogation chair and slam into walls.

3. Beating on the handcuffs to the point of bruising and swelling on wrists.

4. Keeping the children in small solitary confinement cells where students cannot walk or extend their legs.

5. Keeping in solitary confinement without any blankets or anything else.

6. Forcing the students to stand up very long times (48 hours).

7. Using cables to lash and beat students

8. laying student face down on the ground and having the 7 member team sit or stand on the legs and back of student.

9. Forcing student to stand on one leg for long periods of time (18 hours)

10. Beating the student severely during transfer to the point were section 209 personnel refused to take student.

11. Refusing doctor visits to the students

12. Forcing students to exhausting movements like sitting and getting up repeatedly and bending and holding ankles...

The parents asked Mr. Shahroudi if he believes that the confessions that they have obtaind in this fashion has any credibility.

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Monday, July 23, 2007

Haleh Esfandiari: "I do not know what else to do. Save me"

According to Shirin Ebadi, Haleh Esfandiaris lawyer and 2003 Nobel Peace Laureate, HalehEsfandiari has been deprived of all of her rights according to International Standards as well as Iran's own constitution.

Shirin Ebadi has stated that she has not been permitted to speak with her client to this day. She has been trying to establish contact for 2.5 months. Based on the penal and corrections laws of Iran any confessions obtained from a prisoner under mental or physical duress is considered null and void. Also untill one is charged with a crime, and untill they understand the charge, they cannot select a lawyer for representation or submit a defense. After charging, the accusation must be reviewed by the legal system for credibility. After all this takes place, then perhaps Haleh Esfandiari should have been paraded in front of the public as a criminal. Therefore it is incorrect to extract a confession from someone that doesn't even know the charge against them anyway. The people running the country in Iran don't even know their own rules, and constantly break them right and left. Why should anyone be held accountable to these rules when the supporters of the Islamic Republic don't abide by them themselves?

This makes the broadcaset and production of the government's show "In the name of democracy" illegal. But it seems it's ok to break laws as long as one is in a favored standing with the thugs running the country.

Haleh Esfandiari, along with multitudes of other political prisoners are deprived of all of theircivil liberties. That is why the international community condemns Iran for human rights violations frequently, not because there is some evil plot to overthrow the country by unknown "enemies".

The individuals that have announced Haleh Esfandiari as a spy without the verdict of a court can be held accountable for their acts. However, since her lawyer cannot even access her client, she cannot seek them out.

This demonstrates the obvious reason for holding her without access to her laywer. They want to make up lies and distract the public, so no one will notice how poorly the country is being run. Rather they want people to be afraid of a fake enemy, a 67 year old woman.

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Sunday, July 22, 2007

Iran Executes 12

Tehran's chief prosecuter Saeed Mortazavi stated that 12 prisoners were executed: "abduction, rape, criminal acts and trading drugs: these are the traders of death." He added that he was going to authorize the execution of 17 more.

However, I find this verdict very hyporcritical. The Iranian government abducts opposition leaders all the time, for example Bus Driver Union leader Mansour Osanloo. The Iranian officials are also very well known for their rape of women inmates, journalist Roya Toloui has been subjected to this, as well as many other examples in newspaper articles. The Iranian government is practically famous for its brutal criminal acts: torture of oppsition (Akbar Mohammadi was tortured to death in prison), unfair court trials and the government officials raping of penniless minors (the rape and hanging of 16 year old Atefe Rajabi).

The question begs to be asked: Why so many executions so suddenly? Why no appeals? So Saeed Mortazavi can order the murder of 17 people in a whim? What if he's in a bad mood that one particular day? Was there a fear of something the prisoners knew? Who knows why the Iranian officials in charge really hanged them. Often the government lies about the people they abduct. It has occurred repeatedly that the security offials have arrested a Union leader, or civil rights activist, and told bystanders that they are taking a drug traffiker or a thief into custody.

These are not the actions of legitimatie government officials in power, rather the actions of desparate and scared criminals trying to cover their own tracks.

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Iranian public not buying Government's cooked "confessions"

According to AFP the Iranian public objected to the televised confessions of the Iranian-Americains in custody charged with espionage and intentions to spark a "velvet revolution".

Islamic Republic spokeman Gholam Hossein Elham was defending the broadcast:" It was necessary that the nature of the cultural onslaught was exposed...This was required for informing the public. It is nothing people are unaware of. But their beliefs have now been documented by real evidence." He went on to try to persuade the public that the confessions were not coerced:" For those who say that the statements were made under pressure, their appearance shows that these were natural comments."

However the public was not buying what the government was trying to sell. Newspapers, recently faced with harsh punishments for speaking out, objected anyway.

The statement of Iran's main reformist party, the Islamic Iranian Participation Front, was as follows:"

"Such programmes are no use in clarifying anti-Iranian moves by US officials ... by airing such programmes one cannot divert public opinion from the numerous mistakes and failures resulting from the government's work."

Fars News Agency also had comments for the government:"A 'Velvet Revolution' normally happens in a dictatorship where it is not possible to implement the people's free and fair opinion through free elections. This is why the best way to assure the durability of the Islamic system is democracy."Hambastegi Daily also questioned the governments actions:

"We must accept that the era of televised confessions is over. If these people are spies then why are the ones who gave them classified information not introduced and detained? Would it not be better if the national media introduced these people as opponents of the Islamic republic after their intentions to oppose and overthrow have been proven in court?" it asked

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Saturday, July 21, 2007

11 Revolutionary Guards were killed in Southest of Iran

According to Radio Farda and Associated Press, Eleven Revolutionary Guard memebers werekilled by armed bandits. This occurance happened in the mountains of Zahedan. The Revolutionary Guards claim that those responsible are drug traffikers, however the accused group claims that they are "political fighters". It must be noted that when the Iranian security officials subjected bus union leader Mansour Osanloo to police brutality during an arrest, the police told the public that they were taking thief into custody. According to Radio Farda, the leader of this group is named Khodabakhsh.

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Friday, July 20, 2007

Who is the Islamic Republic Good for?

I keep seeing religious Iranians with Hejab immigrating to America and Europe and working really hard to stay in these adopted countries. I don't get it. I thought the religious Iranians would want to live in Iran, since everyone is forced to wear hejab and forced to behave according to religion.

So if currant Iran is no good for secular Iranians, and if currant Iran is no good for religious Iranians, why keep the currant regime?

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Tuesday, July 17, 2007

Hunger Strike of Mr. Abolfazl Jahandar

According to the latest report received from section 209 of the Evin Prison, Mr. Abolfazl Jahandar, an imprisoned student activist has gone on a hunger strike. Mr. Jahandar was a member of the Islamic Students Association in Alame Tabatabai University as well as a member of the student organization Tahkime Vahdat before his arrest and imprisonment. Mr. Jahandar was arrested last year by the Intelligence Ministry Officials and has been captive in section 209 of the Evin Prison for the past 11 months. In protest to the refusal of the Evin Prison Officials to transfer him to the common ward for political prisoners he has been on a hunger strike since Saturday July 14 th, 2007. Human Rights Activists in Iran are extremely concerned for the health and well being of Mr. Jahandar and demand protection and respect for the rights of political prisoners in Iran.

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Islamic Republic Tortures Prisoners to Obtain False Confessions Again

It appears that the Islamic Republic is torturing students arrested at Amir Kabir Unversity in order to obtain false confessions. The students have started a hunger strike in protest. Judge Hassan Haddad had ordered the release of the students upon bail, but they have not been freed. Suspicions are arising that judge Hassan Haddad is charge the student prisoners Majid Tavakoli, Ehsan Mansouri and Ahmad Ghasaban with unsubstatiated accusations.

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Monday, July 16, 2007

Iran to Show broadcast of Confessions, please boycott

Iran is to show video footage of "confessions" of Iranian-Americans that supposedly want to a regime change. I'm not going to even dignify the broacast by watching it. The Islamic Republic of Iran coerced them to say everything that is on the tape, so why bother watching it. Not only that, according to the report, the broadcast doesn't even show the interviewees saying complete sentences. Imagine the broadcasts anyone could make up by just cutting and pasting video excerpts from different footages of the mullahs themselves.

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Friday, July 13, 2007

Iranian Regime's Hard Crackdown a result of Desparation, not strength

I saw this article, and I think it is true. According to this article from the Christian Science Monitor, the Iranian Regime's recent crackdowns are our of fear, not strength.

It appears that the rulers in power are simply out of money. They wasted much of the oil money, to the point that now one of the countries in the world with the richest oil reserves has to ration it. And they aren't even rationing in a smart way, they just suddenly cut the usage cold turkey. I don't think that this sudden cut in oil consumption is good for the economy. How are people that need to commute long distances for their jobs going make ends meet? This will hurt people that are struggling to put food on the table as it is. To me it looks like instead of re-investing the oil money to build refining capability, those in power pocketed it. The list of Iranian millionaires is in the web. I wouldn't put it past them to have to start rationing other subsidized goods either. What's next? Rationing bread?

Now faced with sanctions, they are in trouble, and in desparation and out of fear of being unseated, they are tightening their grip. As the article states:

"Their behavior is much more out of desperation than of strength," he adds. "It doesn't show that you are very confident about your place as a regime, when 67-year-old women are being suspected of undermining Iran's national security."In the end of the day, the harsh retaliations are telling. The dictators running the regime in Iran must have committed crimes so abhorrent, that should they fall from power, they liteally have no where to run and no where to hide. That is why they fight so hard. They definitely don't fight because they are pious and in love with God, they constantly break the very rules they set for others. For example, they arrested Mansour Osanloo a few days ago and lied to the people and stated they were arresting a thief. If you are all pious and willing to literally kill others for morality, you shouldn't be lying. If they run to Europe or the US, they were behind many crimes and will go to jail at best. If they stay in Iran, we all know that they have committed crimes ten times fold in the country. Maybe they could flee to Far East Asia or something, but then again, which country in the planet would grant a visa to a known facist on the run.

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Friday, July 06, 2007

A harsh sentence for Women Activist

Iran's judiciary accuses women activist for working against national security by participating ina demonstration for women's rights. Anything that doesn't jive with the Islamic Republic is against national security. But I think the Islamic Republic itself works against national security, when the country now has to ration oil because the government wants to have a stupid nuclear program that Iran doesn't need.